Photo Gear

Because this blog is followed by many photographers, both pro’s and novices alike, I’m including some comments about new equipment and accessories I’ve worked with on this assignment. Each of the items mentioned below were new to me before I arrived here. Each has proven extremely useful and I can highly recommend them. Even for people who work with only a a point-and-shoot camera you may find some of this information helpful.


Rotation360 – A Very Useful Photo Backpack
We’ve all been there before. You’re been photographing outdoors for several hours and carrying your camera which is fitted with a specific lens, let’s say, your favorite wide angle lens. Then suddenly, something appears in your field of vision that you want to photograph. But doing so requires using a different lens that’s stored in your backpack. To change lenses often means taking off your backpack, finding a safe place to lay it down, opening the backpack, carefully replacing lenses, closing the backpack. putting it back on your shoulders and then (assuming the subject hasn’t disappeared) capturing the image. Well, that no longer needs to be the case.

     During my time here in the park I’ve been using a new type of backpack from ThinkTank Photo that is truly revolutionary for landscape and street photography. It’s called the Rotation360 and it makes changing lens or accessing filters in the field a breeze because you never have to remove the backpack to access its contents!

     As shown below in the photo on the left, the Rotation360 looks and works pretty much like a backpack. However, the lower half of the unit is designed more like a daypack and fits tightly within the backpack itself. The daypack is also fitted with a special belt that you tighten around your waist.

     When you need something from the daypack (like a lens or filter), you reach to your side and pull on a loop. As you continue pulling, the daypack is released from the lower portion of the backpack (notice in the middle photo the open space where the daypack was removed from) and glides across your body on that belt. When it’s positioned in front of you (see right photo) you can open the daypack, access lenses, and even use it to rest your camera while changing lenses. When done, reversing the process moves the daypack back into the unit.

     The Rotation360 is an innovative backpack that can greatly simplify accessing and/or changing lenses for many outdoor photographers. If your in need of a new backpack or the idea of changing lenses so easily appeals to you, check out the specifications on the Rotation360 at their website (click here) or give it an in-person test at a local camera store.

Sock-Loupe – View LCD Panels in Bright Sunlight
I photograph extensively in bright sun locations such as Florida, the Southwest, and the Badlands of the Dakotas. One of the problems that frustrate most digital photographers is trying to view your camera’s LCD panel on a bright sunny day. Whether it’s checking the panel to review a photo you just took, change a menu setting, or examine a histogram, seeing the display in the sun’s glare can often be nearly impossible.

     The innovative folks at Sock Loupe (click here to visit their website) have come up with an innovative solution that works great and is easy to carry. The accessory (see photo below) is a made of a heavy duty black fabric that’s attached to a flexible frame and which attaches quickly to your camera using two Velcro straps. One end of the Sock Loupe is open (the end which sets against your LCD panel) while the other end contains a special viewing lens. When the Sock Loupe is attached to your camera, seeing the LCD through the viewing lens is easy to do, even in bright light situations. Also, the viewing lens magnifies whatever appears in the LCD, which can make reading a display or seeing small details even easier. If you find yourself photographing in bright light situations, check out this relatively inexpensive and extremely useful product.

ChaseCam – Mount a Camera Securely to a Car
Some of the time-lapse movies I’m creating here, and a few special effect photographs I’ve taken, were taken from inside a moving automobile. In the past I’ve tried various many different ways to photograph from within a moving car including dashboard mounted bean bag holders, positioning the tripod precariously over the passenger’s seat, and even a single suction-cup style camera holder that attached to a window. Although each idea worked to some extent, all were prone to problems such as camera movement, as the car accelerated or braked, and camera crashes — the camera with mount attached falling onto the floor of the car!

     During the past five weeks I’ve been using some new camera mounts made by ChaseCam and have found them to be an ideal solution for mounting and operating a camera securely while inside a moving vehicle. For over 25 years, ChaseCam has been designing and building digital recording systems and camera mounts for motor racing (i.e. Nascar, Formula 1, Grand Am). You’ve probably seen movies clips or videos made with their equipment mounted inside race cars.

     ChaseCam also offers a selection of multiple suction cup camera mounts equipped with standard camera screw posts. You attach the camera to the mount, then position the suction cups against the window or windshield where you want the camera located, and finally press gently against each suction cup to attach it. The photo below shows a Canon PowerShot camera attached to a ChaseCam mount that was secured to the backseat window of a vehicle. (Note: that mount has remained securely attached to the window for five weeks without a single problem.)

     To accommodate the different camera sizes I work with (Canon EOS bodies and Camera PowerShots), I’ve been using two different ChaseCam mounts. The triple-suction mount (click here to read more) is rated for cameras weighing up to 65 lbs. and has proved a stable and reliable mount for the smaller cameras. For larger camera bodies, a six suction cup device called the Ultra-Mount (click here to read more) has proved an ideal way for holding heavier cameras securely to a window or windshield.

Having worked with several other vehicle camera mounts I’ve found the ChaseCam mounts to be highly reliable and sturdy. If you’re looking for an easy and reliable way to mount a camera inside (or even outside) your vehicle, I can highly recommend ChaseCam’s camera mounts. (Click here to visit their website.)